5 tips on how to keep your home safe over Christmas
The Christmas holiday season is upon us
and whilst we appreciate you might be inundated with parties, putting up the
last of the decorations and trying to squeeze in last-minute shopping we’d just
like to share a friendly reminder with you on how best to keep your home and
belongings safe whilst still having fun.
Here are our top five tips to help you
do just that:
1.
Watch your Christmas lights
You can’t help but be dazzled by the abundance of twinkly fairy lights on
display as you drive around your local area and whilst they look amazing, it’s
important to remember not to overload your power system. Please remember to
turn all your lights off if you go out and especially before you go to bed to
avoid any fire risks.
Top tip: when its time to take your lights down,
check for frayed cords and broken bulbs so you can fix them and safely store
them away for next year – or you know to throw them out and buy more in the
January sales.
2.
Check your smoke alarms
It’s a good habit to check your smoke alarms at least once a month, and if it’s
been a little longer, now is definitely the time to check with all the additional
Christmas lights and decorations dotted throughout your home. As they could potentially
prove to be an additional fire hazard, a quick test can give you peace of mind.
Top tip: If you didn’t already know West Sussex
Fire & Rescue offer a free home safety visit for advice on how to make your
home safer, find out all the information here.
3.
Don’t help burglars with their window
shopping
Keeping your newly
purchased gifts away from the windows will help avoid unwanted attention from
potential burglars who may like to first spy what they could possibly steal. Local
police throughout the country, in the run up to Christmas (as part of their Christmas
crackdown campaign) are advising us to keep presents away from places where
they can be seen from the outside, and also being vigilant with locking windows
and doors.
4.
Make sure you put your candles out
There is nothing cosier than a candlelit room on a cold, dark winters night
especially when you are surrounded by sparkly Christmas lights; watching
Christmas films and sipping a glass of warm mulled wine. But, always remember
to make sure any candles are extinguished before you go up to bed. One of the
biggest causes of house fires this time of year is an unattended candle
according to the NHS; house fires in December increase by up to 40%. Please
don’t be one of their statistics.
Top tip: Unattended candles are the main fire
risk as they are easily forgotten about, so only light candles in the room you
are spending the majority of the evening in.
5. Notify
a neighbour
If you are planning on visiting
friends and relatives over the holiday season, it’s a good idea to let a
trusted neighbour know so they may keep an eye on your home whilst you are
away. They can pick up any post, take the bins in / out, draw curtains and
switch on lights for you (if you don’t already have an automatic timer), which
helps give the illusion that someone is home to deter potential thefts.
Top tip: Avoid announcing your going away on
social media, even though this is sharing information with your friends, you
don’t know who your friends are friends with and so on and so on.
Prevent
a potential disaster this Christmas by taking these sensible precautions so you
can have peace of mind and enjoy the festive season in style.
